Marie Lavender is on the hot seat today!

I'm very excited to have Marie Lavender on the hot seat today.  She is an extremely talented author and finds time to have a few different blogs!  Okay, let's get started.......

1. Tell us all about yourself and what makes you tick and what do you like doing when you aren’t writing!

I am a multi-genre author of 22 books in the genres of historical romance, contemporary romance, romantic suspense, paranormal romance, fantasy, mystery/thriller, literary fiction and poetry. I have been writing for just over 25 years. In 2010, I published my first book and ever since, it was been one wild ride! Here is my list of awards so far:

Nominated in the TRR Readers' Choice Awards for Winter 2015. Poetry winner of the 2015 PnPAuthors Contest. Honorable Mention in the 2014 BTS Red Carpet Book Awards. Finalist and Runner-up in the 2014 MARSocial's Author of the Year Competition. Honorable mention in the January 2014 Reader's Choice Award. Liebster Blogger Award for 2013 and 2014. Top 10 Authors on AuthorsDB.com. Winner of the Great One Liners Contest on the Directory of Published Authors.

I just love writing! I love the freedom of the pen scrawling across the page, or my hands flying over the keyboard on a whim. When I’m immersed in a scene, when the characters are talking to me and I’m building the story, that’s when I feel most content.

When I’m not writing? I also love reading, cooking (sometimes experimenting with new recipes), and shopping. Keep me away from credit cards! LOL. And I love spending quiet evenings at home with my fiancé.

2.  Tell us about your family – married?   Kids?   Where you live!

I’m still engaged, but I hope to be married this year. I’ve been with my fiancé for a long time, and I can’t wait to marry him! I live in a small town in the Midwest with my three cats.

3.       If you could travel anywhere in or out of this world, where would it be?

Oh, I’d love to visit Ireland! I have quite a bit of Irish in my blood, so I’d like to get in touch with my roots.

4.      What is your favorite all time movie?

My favorite movie is somewhat silly, but I’ll go ahead and say. It’s The Princess Bride. I love the film for the historical background, the romance between the hero and heroine, and the comical element.

5.      What about weekly TV show?  Why?

I have so many! If I must choose one, I think I’ll go with Castle because it not only has an interesting mystery during every episode, but one of the main characters is a writer so I can really relate.

6.      Have you ever met anybody famous?

I guess that depends on your idea of famous. Sure, I met one author who was probably considered famous. She’d published tons of books since the late 1960s and won many awards as a romance author. We emailed back and forth a few times. For her sake, I won’t name names. I have met so many fellow authors on my journey!

7.      Now, tell us about your book?

Second Chance Heart is a story about a woman who runs into her ex one night during a business trip, and how she deals with the feelings he awakens in her. She is forced to wonder if she should trust him again, or try to move on.

8.      Where did you come up with the idea for your story?

I suppose I wanted to posit a notion to see if in the situation that Dana has been through, second chances might be possible. Of course, I never know what will happen until I’m done writing. I also had to write a story for a multi-author charity anthology, and I figured I might as well take the project and run with it. A few months later, the anthology fell through, so I decided to give publishing it individually a go.

9.      What is your biggest pet peeve about writing?

Head-hopping, I suppose. If I see it in a book, it can drive me a little crazy. It just gets a bit confusing to follow.

3.10. Where can people find you? (give all your links)

​

http://marielavender.com/
http://iloveromanceblog.wordpress.com/
http://marielavenderbooks.blogspot.com/
http://marielavender.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/marie.lavender.58
https://www.facebook.com/MarieAnnLavender
https://twitter.com/marielavender1
https://plus.google.com/u/0/+MarieLavender/posts
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/marie-lavender/27/187/10a
http://amazon.com/author/marielavender
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6938764.Marie_Lavender
http://authorsdb.com/authors-directory/1578-marie-lavender
http://www.pw.org/content/marie_lavender
http://manicreaders.com/marielavender/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJu8HjRVYCFOqcIoX6ZxdqQ/videos

11.  Most important – where can we buy your story?

Second Chance Heart is available at most online retailers.

Amazon Universal link:  http://bookgoodies.com/a/B01593TDO6

Smashwords:  https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/576453

Barnes & Noble:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/second-chance-heart-marie-lavender/1122651302

Kobo:  https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/second-chance-heart

After a wild storm forces her to take shelter in a small town inn, Dana Nelson thinks that all she has to worry about is a brief stay before she heads back to the city. She gets far more than she bargained for…

The last thing she expects is to run into an old flame, and even worse, the man who broke her heart twelve years ago. She’s sure that the only thing remaining between them is a strong attraction for another.

She can’t be more wrong…

The more time she spends with Vince Reynolds, the more she begins to believe she can trust him again. But, can she put her faith in the one man who captivates her, body and soul, or are some wounds too deep to heal?

Excerpt

She went upstairs to her room, still unsettled, plagued by those dark eyes of his. As she was still in her business suit from the trip, she undressed quickly and donned a pale pink knit nightgown, yanking it over her subtle curves. She glanced around the bedroom. She’d been given the Peach Room, painted in its namesake. It gave off a Victorian appearance with a walnut bed covered in a fine white spread, which was quite soft to the fingertips. Nearby sat an antique desk for writing letters. A Baroque, gilded mirror was nailed against one wall, and she caught the light dusting of freckles upon her nose and cheekbones in the reflection there.

She released a breath, shaking her head at the way her heart raced. It was infuriating that the man still affected her. She’d thought Vince was out of her life for good. She slashed a brush through her thick, shoulder-length mane of flame red curls, and told herself to relax, that the past couldn’t hurt her anymore.

            A soft knock could be heard then and with a frown, she went to the door. 

            Vince stood on the other side. His wavy, dark brown hair was ruffled, as if he’d mussed it with his hands, a habit of his she remembered quite well.

            He sighed, didn’t speak for a moment. “I’m…so goddamned sorry, Dana.” His dark eyes were strangely haunted. “I’m sorry.”

            She tried to block his view of her nightgown. “For what?”

            “You know what for.”

            Dana froze, her heart skipping a sick beat. He was apologizing now? After all this time? “It doesn’t matter now,” she said in a hoarse tone.

            “The hell it doesn’t. You don’t think I know you, Dana? I know what it looks like when you’re hurt. And that look you gave me downstairs nearly killed me. Those blue eyes of yours always did.” He rubbed at his chest absently, and she looked at the movement like his hand was a foreign object.

            She doubted part of what he said, and wondered if he was trying to appear more considerate. Why couldn’t he stay mean? She could hate him easier. “Fine. You said your piece. Now go away.” 

She began to shut the door, but he blocked it with his hand. Even as she gasped, he shouldered his way inside and kicked the door closed. He reached for her when she would have backed away, his lips blocking her protests. It was a mistake, a total mistake, she thought in a stunned instant. But, the lure of his mouth was too strong, and she sank into his kiss anyway, whimpering as his tongue swirled over hers. His dark flavor was too enticing. Her breath caught up in her throat, and her body began to burn, to come alive. She remembered the passion between them very well. If she was totally honest with herself, it had been missing with Finn.

“You’re mine,” he muttered hoarsely against her mouth. “I should never have forgotten that.”
            Caught between his body and the wall, she could hear the remorse in his tone, but her mind just seemed to stop working. None of it seemed to matter as he kissed the hell out of her. His heat was familiar, so welcome close to her body, and she curled up to it. His arms encircled her and there was a sense of safety, not danger. When his mouth moved over her throat, her eyes closed automatically.